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Loveland health officials recommend flu shots

Clinics scheduled throughout region

By Pamela Johnson

Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
09/25/2017 10:53:30 PM MDT

Health officials encourage all residents to get vaccinated for the flu as soon as possible. Banner Health is offering 20 clinics throughout the region where residents can get flu shots for $35, and the Larimer County Health Department offers them for $21 to those who do not have insurance, whose insurance will not cover the shots and those who are on Medicaid. (Banner Health / Special to the Reporter-Herald)

As residents begin preparing their yards and homes for the fall and winter seasons, health officials say they also should prepare themselves for flu season.

"It's important for everyone six months of age and older to get a flu vaccine every year before flu activity begins in their community," Roxane Conant, wellness senior manager at Banner Health, said in a press release.

"It is especially important for individuals — such as young children or older adults — who are at high risk for developing complications due to the flu to get their vaccines early and take extra precautions, such as hand hygiene, staying home when sick and covering the nose when coughing or sneezing."

Last flu season, 3,340 people across Colorado, including 199 in Larimer County, were hospitalized because of the flu, according to data from the Colorado Department of Health and Environment and Larimer County Health Department. This doesn't include those with milder cases that did not require hospitalization or those who did not seek a medical diagnosis of the condition.

At McKee Medical Center and Banner Fort Collins Medical Center, doctors treated 40 people on an inpatient basis and confirmed 187 additional flu viruses with outpatient tests, according to information from Banner Health.

Numbers for Medical Center of the Rockies and Poudre Valley Hospital were not immediately available.

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Health officials recommend that all residents get a flu vaccine and dispel the myth that the inoculation itself can cause someone to get the flu because the vaccine does not include the live virus, according to information from the Larimer County Health Department and Banner Health.

One shot, which should be administered as early in the season as possible, will last the entire flu season, which is generally from October through May, according to health officials.

"The earlier you get vaccinated, the more protected you are," said Katie O'Donnell, spokeswoman for the Larimer County Health Department.

And even if a person does contract the flu after being vaccinated, the illness will be milder and shorter in duration because of the shot, she said.

Residents can seek flu vaccinations through their regular doctor.

The Larimer County Health Department offers flu vaccinations to those who do not have insurance, whose insurance will not cover the shot and those on Medicaid for $21. To schedule an appointment at the health department office in Loveland, call 619-4580

And Banner health is hosting 20 upcoming clinics throughout Northern Colorado that are open to the public, offering the vaccinations for $35. The clinics will offer shots but not the nasal mist because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report minimal effectiveness of the mist.

Also available at the clinics are Tdap, which vaccinates against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, and Td, a vaccine to protect against tetanus and diphtheria, for $65 and $45 respectively.

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